Bolster



No. 627,348. Patgnted lune20, l&99;

s. OTIS.

BOLSTER'.

(Application filed Oct. 17, 1896.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOR WITNESSES Attorney by (Q6. mien/ Tn: NORRIS PETERS co.PHOK0-LI7HO.. WASHINGTON, n C

SPENCER OTIS, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

BOLSTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 627,348, daited June20, 1899.

Application filed October 17, 1898. Serial No- 698,'786. (No model.)

To all" whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, SPENCER OTIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas, State of Nebraska, haveinvented certain-new and useful Improvements in Bolsters, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

Oneobject of my invention is to provide a bolster suitable for acar-truck, which will be a permanent and unyielding structure and at thesame time lighter in weight and less expensive for a given strength thancastmetal bol-' sters, another object being to provide, with a cast-ironor malleable-iron or other cast-metal compression member ofcomparatively light weight, two tension members in the form of loopedwrought-metal rods shrunk upon lugs, which may constitute saddlesprojecting from the sides of the compression member; but said rods ortension members may be set in place in a mold and the cast member be runin, in either case forming perfect and unyielding connection of saidmembers not depend ing on the shearing strength of either bolts orrivets, but distributing the strains over the entire sectional area ofthe tension members, while permitting the compression memberto have inone casting the center-plate side bearings, spring-seat,,andcolumn-guides, as required. I attain these objects by the constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which--- Figure 1 is a sideviewof a bolster constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 isa top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same online 0a 0a of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line y g of Fig.2. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line .2 z of Fig. 2.

. Although the compression member A of the bolster consists of a singlecasting, I will give the name plates to its different portions tofacilitate the description. Said compression member has two side plates1), deeper in the middle of their length at 0 than at d, where the endbearings are formed, and still less deep at 6 between said middleportion and the end bearings. The side plates are united togethercentrally by a vertical web 0 the central portion of which is reinforcedat c and has a central vertical cavity 0 to receive the king-bolt of thetruck. The com pression member has a top plate fvextending the wholelength thereof and closing also its ends f The bottom of the endbearings have also plates (P, that unite together the side plates I).Said side plates and the top platef are additionally united together bytransverse webs g 71 on each side of the central web 0 The tensionmembers of the bolster consist of two endless rods R, preferably ofcylindrical form in cross-section, although they may be square orpolygonal in cross-section. Each rod R is partly folded upon itself topro vide two loops 1' at a distance from each other substantially equalto the length of the bolster, the component cords'uniting said loops rbeing farther apart in the center of the length of said tension members.To properly retain the tension inembersconnected with and securelymounted upon the sides of the compression member, the latter is providedwith ribs 0 in the center of its sides, and the top and bottom of saidribs are concaved horizontally to constitute saddles for the top andbottom portions of the tension members. Upon the sides of thecompression member, adjacent to its ends, there are also hollow ribs in,Fig. 3, the top and bottom of which are concaved to form saddles for thelooped portions 1" of the rods R. Adjacent to the ribs 7c the sides ofthe member A are provided with column-guides m, as required.

After the compression member has been cast and the endless ten sion-rodsB have been given the proper form and provided with their contracted endloops, said rods are heated to expand them and immediately seated in thesaddles formed therefor on the sides of the compression member A, andthus an unyielding bolster of great strength is obtained; but, ifpreferred, the tension members or rods may be set in position in themold and the castmetal compression member be run inalongsideof saidrods.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim l. A car-truck bolsterconsisting of a compression member of cast metal-having projecting fromits sidesin the center ofits length and adjacent to its ends, saddlesconcaved in the top and bottom, and on the two sides of said compressionmember, an endless tensionrod having its central portion and its loopedj ends in engagement with the side saddles of the compression member,substantially as described.

2. In a car-truck bolster, the combination of a cast-metal compressionmember having projecting from its sides, saddles ooncaved in the top andbottom, with endless tension-rods Witnesses:

RANDOLPH CARTER,

E. J. PEAKE.

